Latest news with #MichaelFox
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
This county saw the highest rate of growth across metro Atlanta over the past year
The metro Atlanta area gained approximately 64,000 new residents over the past year, with Forsyth and Cherokee counties leading the growth at a rate of 2.4%. Forsyth County, in particular, saw an increase of 6,700 people, bringing its population to over 282,000. This growth rate is significantly higher than the region's overall growth rate of 1.2%, highlighting the county's appeal. Forsyth County is known for its low property taxes and family-friendly atmosphere, which are significant draws for new residents. Michael Fox, a resident who recently moved back to Forsyth County from Los Angeles, appreciates the area's blend of rural and urban environments. 'Wanted always to come back here and be around the grandkids. And Forsyth County was the place we wanted to be,' Fox said. Fox commutes daily to his job at Lockheed-Martin in Marietta and enjoys the county's youthful energy. TRENDING STORIES: Road rage incident in Atlanta leaves 2 kids shot at East Point gas station, police say Chick-fil-A restaurant bans kids from eating without an adult Man not guilty of killing 24-year-old Fulton deputy 'It's growing right. We really wanted to be around kind of a growing community. It's really easy access to a lot of things around here,' he added. Forsyth County's low property taxes and family-friendly atmosphere are significant draws for new residents. The county has more land available for development compared to areas closer to the urban core, which contributes to its rapid growth. Russell Brown noted the unique character of Forsyth County. 'On the northern end of the county, it still feels very rural, so there's definitely a ying and a yang kind of situation going on here,' Brown said. As Forsyth County continues to grow, local leaders are taking measures to manage the influx of new residents while maintaining the area's appeal. The combination of safety, good schools, and available land makes it an attractive destination for families and individuals alike. Solve the daily Crossword
News.com.au
05-08-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘A lot of money': Brutal reason you could be in for a tax bill this year
A little-known tax return detail is seeing an increasing number of people hit with unexpected bills this year, with Australians warned that even past returns could come under scrutiny. Melbourne-based accountant, Michael Fox, first encountered this issue a few months ago, when he received a notice from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) The message related to a review of the private health insurance information provided in one of his client's past returns, stating that client now owed money to the ATO. The tax bill was a result of the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) being retroactively applied, despite the client believing they did not have to pay it at the time. The MLS is paid by Australian tax payers who do not have private hospital cover and who earn above a certain income. The aim of the surcharge is to encourage individuals to take out private hospital cover in order to reduce the demand on the public Medicare system. Since receiving this first notice, Mr Fox, the Principal of Michael Fox Arts Accountant & Valuer, is now dealing with about 20 cases all relating to this same issue. 'We're just getting these random notices, like, 'Oh, we've looked through your private health insurance information for the 2022 financial year, and we, we reckon you owe us $2000'. We get these notices and we're like, 'what the hell?'' Mr Fox told The accountant said people are getting 'trapped', with the issue arising when clients either get married or enter a defacto relationship and are required to include their 'spouse' on their tax return. For tax purposes, this not only includes legally married couples but also those who live together in a domestic relationship. Mr Fox said this can 'cause a complication' in situations where couples are not under a private health insurance family plan. To avoid the surcharge, every person in the household has to have an 'appropriate level' of private patient health cover. 'Quite often, what happens is that one might not be insured, the other one is insured, and all of a sudden, bingo, you've got a Medicare Levy surcharge problem,' he said. He believes the reason there has been a sudden influx in people being stung by the MLS is due to the ATO's increased use of sophisticated data matching programs. Data matching allows the ATO to retrieve data from a variety of third-party sources, including banks, financial institutions and other government agencies. In a recent blog post, Mr Fox claimed there are situations where both you and your spouse may have your own singles comprehensive private health insurance policies, and still trigger the surcharge. 'With sophisticated data matching by the ATO, they can now discover that you and your spouse both have singles cover and not family cover and issue amendments to prior year returns,' he said When it comes to the MLS, the threshold to trigger for the surcharge changes depending on your circumstances, with the rate varying between 1 per cent, 1.25 per cent or 1.5 per cent. For the 2015-26 income year, the MLS is triggered for a single person when they reach an income of $101,001 or more. For a family, it is triggered by an income of $202,001, with this threshold increasing by $1500 for each MLS dependent child after the first child. In a statement to an ATO spokesperson said that if your spouse and any dependants have an appropriate level of private patient hospital cover for the whole financial year, then 'it doesn't matter whether that private patient hospital cover is provided by a family or singles cover'. 'As couples do not necessarily lodge at the same time, our data matching programs will review returns after they have been lodged,' the spokesperson said. 'This review is to ensure the taxpayer, spouse and any dependants have the appropriate cover, including if this is through family or singles cover. 'The same data matching processes will occur when a taxpayer has lodged an amended tax return.' The spokesperson said there are some instances where the ATO has difficulty matching an individual taxpayer to a health insurance policy, with this often due a mismatch with the data provided to the health fund by the client or from the fund to the ATO. 'If the ATO is unable to match a health insurance policy to an ATO account, the individual may appear to not have appropriate cover,' the spokesperson said. Many of Mr Fox's clients who have encounted this issue surcharge issue have young families. One of those clients, Guy, who lives in Adelaide with his partner and two young children, copped a $2500 bill from the ATO this year. Shortly after lodging his return this year, he received a notice from the ATO that his 2022/23 tax return had been amended and he now had to pay the MLS, as his children were not covered by his private health insurance policy. Speaking to the 43-year-old explained that he and his partner have their own individual health covers and his children have been using the Medicare system. 'The system for kids is so good, so we just haven't seen the need for private health insurance (for them),' he said. Guy's children are aged 3 and 6 and, up until now, this has never been flagged as an issue when completing his tax returns, saying 'this is the first I have heard of it'. While he has received tax bills in the past given he runs his own business, this one left Guy 'surprised and disappointed'. 'It felt like they were scraping the bottom of the barrel,' he said. 'I think it was just that sort of feeling of like, with the cost of living being what it is, for the ATO then come and just put the their hand out for another pay out historically, and then having to factor that into a family budget.' Mr Fox noted that, as the ATO is going back through old returns, people are likely going to cop multiple bills. 'If you go back to 2022, they are going to be trapped for three years and that could be three times $2000 or $3000. That's a lot of money,' he said, adding there is now 'nothing (people) can do' as they weren't aware of the discrepancy at the time. Mr Fox said the 'fair thing to do' would be for the government to give an amnesty period for a year to allow people to get their affairs in order. 'I just don't think it's fair that they are going back using AI data matching to basically trap people,' he said.
Irish Independent
25-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Around the Districts: Around the Districts: Ardcath/Clonalvy, Curraha and Julianstown
Contact Any news or items of interest contact Niamh at 086 3477283 or email niamhuiloinsigh@ Ardcath Tidy Towns If anyone would like to be involved with Ardcath Tidy Towns, please WhatsApp 087 8354805 to be added to the Tidy Towns WhatsApp Group. Michael Fox Ardcath Tidy Towns Committee. Ardcath ICA Social Dancing continues every Monday evening in Bennetts Function Room at 7pm. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. Ardcath Guild Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm in Bennetts Function Room Ardcath - New Members welcome. Clonalvy Patron Day Clonalvy Patron Day will be held on Sunday 29th June. Mass at 1pm in Saint John the Baptist Church followed by Blessings of the Graves in Clonalvy Cemetery at 1.30 p.m. St. Vincent's GFC Lotto Results 16th June. Numbers Drawn were 1-21-41 No Winner. Next week's Jackpot €1,050. Windfall draw takes place on Monday night @ 9.00pm. Play before 6pm Monday at Text Alert Duleek & District Community Text Alert covering Duleek, Bellewstown, Ardcath/Clonalvy, Donore, Beamore, Rathfeigh, Stamullen, Gormanston, Julianstown subscription of €6 can now be paid for free by Revolut. Please send your name & address along with payment to 086 8097737. If you're not already registered with Text Alert, please consider doing so. CURRAHA Contact Curraha GAA Some of our title winning Ladies team paid a visit to St. Andrews, Curragha to show off the recently won League trophy. The kids were delighted to meet the girls and get their hands on the trophy. Hopefully they will inspire the kids to go on to win many trophies of their own for the club, starting with this weeks Under 13 League final. Curraha Tidy Towns Calling everyone to come out the 1st Saturday of each month to clean up your area. Bags can be provided if required ring Deirdre on 0868868917 or Marcella on 0876744691. Please drop the full bags back to the Church carpark for collection by the County Council. Let's be proud of our village. ADVERTISEMENT St. Andrew's National School, Curragha What a great way to end the year! St. Andrew's N.S. has been awarded three flags this month: the Blue Star Flag, the Amber Flag and the Green Flag for travel. The flags were raised on Friday 20th June and families and the whole community were invited to attend this great occasion. Sumer Holidays: we wish all our children, parents, teachers and staff a fabulous holidays and look forward to seeing you all in September. Deposit Return Scheme We are collecting plastic bottles and aluminium cans for the Deposit Return Scheme at our school every Thursday morning at the hall door. Thank you to all our families who are bringing plastic bottles and aluminium cans to our Deposit Returns Scheme for collection every Thursday morning. Thank you to our 3rd class pupils who helped sort them out this week. Thank you to our Parents' Association who collect them and return them on the school's behalf. Support our School Lotto – Contact Julianstown Tidy Towns Judging for Meath County Council Pride of Place takes place in Julianstown on Tuesday lst July at 2.05 pm. Our judge is Aoife Munn who also judges for the Supervalu National Tidy Towns. Julianstown Tidy Towns Volunteers have commenced work in the village on Saturday mornings and Tuesday evenings. We have been replanting the raised beds in the village, cleaning the kerbs of weeds, and cutting back overhanging branches. Larry Lenehan has carried out a great clean up of the bridge wall – thanks Larry. Many thanks to Uniplumo for supplying the bedding plants for all the raised beds – they look wonderful. 14 planters have been placed all around the village and special thanks to those who have volunteered to water them throughout the summer. Meet in the Community Garden at 10.30 am on Saturday morning or join us on Tuesday evening at 7 pm. What's App group – Julianstown Volunteers Group for exact dates, times and where to meet up. . New members are always welcome, and we would appreciate any extra help you can give. Just wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Gloves and tools will be provided. Then afterwards enjoy a cuppa tea or coffee with the gang. Would you like to Volunteer for Julianstown Tidy Towns? There are lots of different way to get involved like volunteering at a local event or festival or supporting more urgent initiatives that come up from time to time. These are just a few examples of roles that you could take on: Helping with our Webpage; Updating our Facebook, and Twitter Pages; Administration; Public Relations; helping with increasing biodiversity in our village and community garden; giving advice on what and where to plant flowers and trees etc. Contact us at julianstowndca@ or join our WhatsApp group–Julianstown Volunteers Group or phone Niamh on 086 3477283. Sincere Sympathy It's with great sadness that Julianstown & District Residents Association would like to pass on our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Carol McGinty who sadly passed away on the 17th of June. Our thoughts and prayers are with Carol's husband Robert, and Daughters Aoibhín, Moya, Rosaleen, Tara, parents Anne and Hugh, brothers and sister Cormac, Mark, Paul, Gary and Maria at this very sad time. May Carol's gentle soul rest in heavenly peace. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. Active Retirement Association East Meath Active Retirement Association (EMARA) meet every Thursday in St. Mary's Church of Ireland Parish Rooms, Laytown Road, Julianstown from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm each week. New members are always welcome to join this vibrant group of men and women. We have many events and outings lined up for the coming month. For more details contact Rose at 0868377033 and Eilish at 0863656951 . Adult Dance Classes in Julianstown Adult Dance Classes with Rachel Smyth will be held each Tuesday in the Julianstown Community Centre from 10 am to 11 am. Admission is €60 for a six-week term or €12 per drop-in class. Book now on 087 9420307 Bowls Club Julianstown Bowls Club is recruiting new members. Why not come along to experience the game of bowls and have a very enjoyable evening, on Monday or Thursday from 8 to 10 pm in Julianstown Community Hall. Contact Sean on 086-8438803 or Marie 086-1525413. St. Mary's Church of Ireland All services 10.30 am. Sunday 29 June: Service of Wholeness and Healing Charity Collections: The June collection will be for the Church's Ministry of Healing. Summer work parties: take place in the church grounds from around 7pm every Tuesday evening. Although the number of people who come is diminishing, great work is achieved around the church grounds. If you are free, on any summer Tuesday evening when the weather is fine, please come along. Work around the Parish Rooms: the work around the parish rooms has been completed and everything looks lovely. Thanks again to the donor who made the paving work possible. A new fire alarm system has been installed in the church and the parish rooms. There is always some improvement or maintenance issue around our buildings! St. Mary's and St. Patrick's Church Baptism Preparation: Our next preparation meeting takes place this Tuesday, 2nd September. If you wish to register your child for Baptism please contact our parish office. Last weekend we welcomed, Arthur Asaftei, Frankie Folan and Cillian O'Leary Lynch, in Baptism. Parish Projects 2025: Repairs to the Roof and Gutters in St. Mary's Church are almost complete. We are awaiting the installation of the Facia and gutters. This Project was our last big project for our Parish for this year. In St. Patrick's Church, the upgrade of the heating system will take place in the coming weeks. All the work carried out in our Parish this year is made possible through your generous donations and support. Thank you and God bless you. Fr. Brendan. Plaque in St. Mary's Church: We are currently preparing information for the Plaque in St. Mary's. There is still time to include your intention on this Parish Plaque which will be placed in St. Mary's Church. This marble plaque will be erected in the entrance hall acknowledging all who donate towards projects. 'Benefactors' will be inscribed on the plaque. The plaque will ask all who read it to please pray for all benefactors and all the above named. If a person or family donate €500 or more, they can place their family name, or the name of a deceased loved one on the plaque. Donation sheets are available beside the Newsletters you can complete a Form and send the donation in an envelope or via bank transfer. Moorechurch Cemetery Mass and Blessing of Graves in Moorechurch Cemetery will take place on Sunday, 6th July at 11:30am. As always, we ask that visitors to the Cemetery take their rubbish/dead flowers etc., home with them. We encourage this practice to ensure the cemetery is in perfect condition for all who visit. St. Patrick's GFHC Lotto: Jackpot €9,000 drawn on 100h June. Numbers drawn: 6, 9,11,24 No Winner. Next week's Jackpot: €9,100. Sincere Sympathy: It's with great sadness St Patrick's GAA would like to pass on our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Carol McGinty who sadly passed away on 17th June. Our thoughts and prayers are with Carol's husband Robert, and Daughters Aoibhín,Moya,Rosaleen, and Tara at this very very sad time. May Carol's gentle soul rest in heavenly peace.
Business Wire
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
ICR's Special Situations Group Receives Multiple Rankings in Chambers and Partners' 2025 Crisis & Risk Management and Litigation PR & Communications Guides
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ICR, a leading strategic communications and advisory firm, is pleased to announce that it has been ranked among the best PR & Communications firms specializing in crisis- and litigation-related matters by Chambers and Partners, the world's leading provider of legal research and analysis. Chambers released its 2025 Crisis & Risk Managemen t and Litigation PR & Communications Guides today. Joan Vollero, a Partner in ICR's Special Situations practice, has also been recognized for the second year as one of the top litigation communications professionals in the country, as well as a top crisis communications professional. As part of its ranking process, Chambers and Partners conducts comprehensive interviews with lawyers worldwide who attested to the team's broad skillset, highly relevant expertise, trusted relationships with the media and highly responsive approach to client service. 'We're extremely honored to receive this recognition, which is a testament to the hard work and accomplishments of the entire ICR Special Situations team,' said Michael Fox, Managing Partner. 'Chambers is the gold standard for assessing expertise in this field and we are privileged to be included on the list with such esteemed industry peers.' Chambers and Partners' guides have been published annually since 1990 using research methods that consist of in-depth interviews with and feedback from clients and other lawyers in the market, as well as an assessment of the firm's recent work, and independent research by the editors. About ICR Established in 1998, ICR partners with public and private companies to execute strategic communications and advisory programs, and manage complex transactions and corporate events to enhance long-term enterprise value and corporate reputation. The firm's highly-differentiated service model, which pairs capital markets veterans with senior communications professionals, brings deep sector knowledge and relationships to hundreds of clients across more than 20 industry groups. With more than 400 team members, ICR is one of the largest and most experienced independent communications and advisory firms, maintaining offices in New York, Connecticut, Boston, Baltimore, San Jose, London, and Beijing. Learn more at Follow us on LinkedIn and on X at @ICRPR.
Scoop
27-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
New Zealand Food Network Teams Up With Kiwifruit Industry To Rescue Kiwifruit To Tackle Food Insecurity
Press Release – New Zealand Food Network NZFN and its packhouse partners rescued and redistributed 160 tonnes of kiwifruit in 2024, and there continues to be growing demand for support to get healthy food into vulnerable New Zealand communities. New Zealand Food Network (NZFN), the country's largest food support charity and national food rescue, is working with the kiwifruit industry this season to help feed communities in need. NZFN and its packhouse partners rescued and redistributed 160 tonnes of kiwifruit in 2024, and there continues to be growing demand for support to get healthy food into vulnerable New Zealand communities. With the support of Zespri and in partnership with a nationwide network of packhouses, NZFN is leading the charge to increase access to nutritious kai and reduce food waste in the agriculture sector. NZFN Chief Executive, Gavin Findlay, says, 'Fresh produce must pass through many hoops before it ends up on the supermarket shelves, such as needing to last long export journeys, or meeting quality standards – meaning some of the annual harvest doesn't make the cut but is still good to eat. With the help of our network of incredible organisations, we're making sure that it's going towards nourishing Kiwis who need it most.' Kiwifruit is among the most nutrient-dense fruits available, with a single gold kiwifruit providing an entire day's worth of vitamin C. Since the rescue effort began in April, NZFN has already distributed kiwifruit to more than 80 organisations across the country. The popular red kiwifruit started arriving at NZFN at the beginning of March from Seeka to be redistributed to its 65 nationwide Food Hubs which support local organisations on the front lines. Around 150 bins of red kiwifruit were processed, and sent to Kiwis in need. Gold kiwifruit processing and distribution is now underway. Zespri, the world's largest marketer of kiwifruit and long-time partner of NZFN is supporting the rescue efforts. Zespri Head of Global Public Affairs Michael Fox says, 'Our focus is always on getting as much of our growers' fruit to market as possible but we're proud to work with NZFN to ensure that fresh and healthy kiwifruit which doesn't quite meet our export standards but is still delicious and safe to eat, reaches those in need and makes a positive impact on our communities.' This initiative comes as NZFN's most recent Food Security Snapshot revealed that over half a million people are now being supported by NZFN's Food Hubs every month, with about a third of monthly recipients never seeking food support before. Yet alongside this increase in demand, the volumes of surplus donations have remained flat, at best, forcing many Food Hubs to reduce the size of food parcels or even turn away new recipients. 'Food insecurity remains a critical issue for many New Zealanders,' says Findlay. 'With many of our Food Hubs struggling with stock levels, collaboration between the private and public sector is important to plug those gaps in supply and ensure that good, nutritious produce is going to communities in need rather than ending up in the bin.' If the New Zealand Food Network could be a solution for your business, please get in contact via About New Zealand Food Network New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) is Aotearoa's largest national food rescue charity and for-purpose food distributor. With distribution centres in Auckland and Christchurch, it accepts bulk surplus and donated food from food producers, growers and manufacturers and redistributes to more than 60 food hubs (regional food rescues, iwi, food banks and other charities) so that they may feed the communities they serve. Via these food hubs, NZFN ultimately serves a network of more than 2,000 frontline organisations across the country. NZFN's services reduce GHG emissions from landfill and ensure a positive social impact by getting food to where it's needed most. NZFN's operations are primarily funded by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to help address the issue of food insecurity nationwide. In addition to distributing donated food, NZFN purchases low-cost pantry staples and other household essentials with funds raised to help keep its Food Hubs well stocked. It also serves as procurement partner for registered Food Hubs to purchase food, and can be activated in the event of an emergency to procure goods for MSD and government providers.
